The Key West Police Department arrested a Homestead man on Tuesday in reference to a robbery of a Key West pawn shop that took place more than a year ago.
On May 14, 2017, KWPD officers were dispatched to Liquid 8 Pawn Shop on Roosevelt Boulevard after a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled over a vehicle and discovered two safes inside, according to the police report. Three of the four occupants of the vehicle fled the scene, but one juvenile remained and was placed in custody. The juvenile revealed to deputies that they had broken into Liquid 8 Pawn Shop that night.
Officers arrived at Liquid 8 and found that a sliding glass door in the back of the office had been broken with a blunt object. Officers contacted the owner and he opened up the store to let officers inspect the area, where they confirmed that two safes had been stolen. The owner said one safe had around $80,000 in it, while the other safe had two handguns locked inside.
The owner informed officers that his alarm company had called him around 1:09 a.m. to inform him that the motion sensor in his office had been activated. However, since no other alarms were activated, the owner cleared the alarm over the phone.
A video surveillance camera revealed three male suspects at the point of entry in the store. An unidentified witness was able later to pick out Dieuson Benoit, 21, as one of the drivers responsible for the theft.
Following the investigation, a warrant was issued and Benoit was arrested. He is being charged with burglary with damage to a structure, trespassing, larceny over $20,000 and grand theft of a firearm. Officers transported him to the Monroe County Detention Center, where he is being held on a $30,000 bond.
Information in the Crime Report is obtained from reports provided by area law enforcement agencies.
If you have information that could help solve a crime in the Florida Keys, call Crime Stoppers, 800-346-TIPS.